September 11: A couple’s story of survival and purpose

September 11th remains a deeply painful and unforgettable day for life partners Jerry Sibal and Edwin Josue.

Twenty-four years after the World Trade Center attacks, they are “grateful that God spared our lives,” and that what they have now is “our second chance.”

Weeks before that fateful day, Jerry’s client, Verizon, hired his company  to handle the floral décor for their annual Manager’s Awards event. The celebration was scheduled to take place at Windows on the World, the famed restaurant at the top of the North Tower, beginning with breakfast and continuing through dinner. Jerry, 67, was an event and floral stylist in Manhattan and Edwin, 70, who is in real estate occasionally helped out. They were unmarried at the time.

“We prepared carefully,” recalled Jerry. “We even made an ocular visit to the World Trade Center to check on delivery logistics, security, and loading areas. We toured the kitchen, met staff hard at work, and planned for a 6 a.m. setup that would keep us in the building until late evening.”

However, there’s been a change of plans. A slight annoyance at the time but no big deal.  Just days before the event, Verizon informed them that the guest list had grown beyond capacity from a hundred people to more than 300. They had  to move to a bigger venue at the Roosevelt Hotel.

“At the time, it felt like a simple logistical inconvenience,” said Jerry. “Today, we see it as divine providence.”

On the morning of September 11, Jerry, Edwin  and crew were in their workspace at Roosevelt, preparing floral pieces for the event, when news broke that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. By 9 a.m., the city was in chaos.

At first, Jerry didn’t believe the reports heard from people coming in and out of the building until Verizon decided to cancel the event. “I thought it was  a joke.”

Recalled Edwin, “We remember the crowds walking uptown, faces covered in shock and disbelief. A thick, grey dust blanketed Manhattan. The acrid smell of burning rubber and something far more dreadful hung in the air. I remember the mostly immigrant servers and staff  of the Windows on the World who would have been working that morning with us. They never made it home. That realization still chills us.”

Added Jerry, “In the midst of devastation, we also witnessed the resilience of New Yorkers—their unity, kindness, and compassion. Strangers comforted one another. The city, though broken, carried itself with humility and strength.”

Almost 3,000 people were killed in the terror attacks which then U.S. President George W. Bush called “an act of war” by the enemies of America.

“Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror,” he said in a speech to the nation delivered on the same day.

Jerry and Edwin said their experience, which they are publicly sharing for the first time, opened their eyes to one important  realization: that material things are unimportant.

“Life is fragile, uncertain, and precious. We must be kind, we must help others, because we never know what tomorrow brings.”

For six months after 9/11, there were no parties or events around the city. New York was grieving, as New Yorkers  slowly worked to revive its economy by dining at restaurants and watching Broadway plays. The pair who married in 2015, said they too found the courage to continue living and creating. Today, decades later, Jerry and Edwin look back with profound gratitude and reminded themselves that they were spared for a reason.

“Our lives, our work, and our service are not just for ourselves but also for giving back.” It is a story of survival and purpose. – Cristina DC Pastor